Find Your Light (Light Within book 2)

Six

We arrive on Serolia the next day, received warmly by the garrison.

The Mage is standing outside it, guarded by two garrison Soldiers, waiting. Me and Cleo walk over to her, followed by Nato and Johnny, who've been assigned to being Cleo's bodyguards for the day.

'Mage Sasha! What brings you here?' Asks Cleo, full Admiral-like manners activated.

'Admiral Cleo. Please, you and your friends must come to my room at once. This is urgent.' She says in her ancient voice. Her tiny Dragon hovers over Blue's head for a moment, then flies over to perch on his half-soul's shoulder.

We follow her into the building. I think back to Cleo's promotion as she leads us to her suite. It seems like so long ago...

'What's urgent enough for you to have come to meet us at the landing zone?' Asks Cleo, her face stiff with responsibility. I feel sorry for her. She's got enough to handle already.

We sit on cushions at the low table in the sitting room of the large suite and look at Mage Sasha for answers to our questions.

'Admiral, I presume you're acquainted with President Rokin of Planet Delta?' Says the Mage.

I notice Cleo tense up at the title. She clenches her fists and glares at her knees. 'Yes.' She replies stiffly.

There goes my slight belief that this will end well.

'Well I just got word that he infected a Serolian Police Ship with poisonous gas! The ship was flying relatively close to Delta, but not close enough to be in orbit at all! The cops had time to evacuate half of the crew, but then the gas spread before the other half could get out.'

I can already see Cleo is much too furious to answer, so I speak instead.

'Are you aware of how the gas was put there? How do we know it's Delta's President?'

'Apparently, they had just undergone inspection from a Deltian ship minutes before the incident. One of the crew members confirmed that there was a gas bomb that had been hidden in the hold. He found it before it detonated, that's how he managed to evacuate half the crew. A Deltian Soldier from the inspection has been interrogated and said one of his crew mates had direct orders from the President about some secret operation.'

'Oh, the stupid, mindless, psychopathic brute! Hordime, I'll get him killed nice and slow!' Cleo mutters under her breath, much to my alarm. Her white-knuckled fists have started giving off a faint dark glow as she scowls at the floor.

'Calm yourself, Cleo, we'll figure this out.' I remind her.

'Calm myself?! Laika, please! Half a ship's crew has been murdered and only the Goddess knows why!'

I give her a long stare, forcing herself to hold her terrifying darkening gaze.

Finally, after what seems like forever, Cleo stops emitting darkness.

'Good. Thank you, Cleo. And thank you for informing us, Mage.' I say, bowing respectfully.

She smiles warmly, her worry showing in her soft eyes, and we leave for the room Cleo has on the other side of the building.

My friend sits on her bed, clenching and unclenching her fists, her sapphire blue eyes focused on some distant point on the carpet. Blue seems just as distraught. He's lying at her feet, head on his own, his eyes wide and staring at the wall as if something was hiding beyond it.

I look at them both intently before speaking.

'Cleo, I know you want to find a solution to this as soon as possible, but I really think you should take some time off. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure all this responsibility will drive you nuts! I'll tell Johnny to stay back at the ALLIANCE and take care of stuff. Take the full day off, no distractions.' I say, thinking about the boys standing outside the door, waiting.